The Investment
by MultiGwyn Rooney
Summary: Just your average Ord Mantell story with a bit of a personal twist. Leia is tired of being treated like a child, Han is tired of chasing Leia with no outcome, and Chewbacca is just tired. Set post-ANH and pre-ESB. H/L with a little angst, but mostly humor and relationship building. Now COMPLETE.
1. chapter 1

**a/n: So this is my first Star Wars story. I know, it's pretty big to take on for my first story. I'm trying my best here. Feel free to let me know how I'm doing in a review below.**

 **Basically, if you've never read an Ord Mantell story before, this is set in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and is based on Han's line "Well that bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind."**

* * *

 _The Investment_

The Hoth base had been operative for about a month, and Leia had already decided that it was her least favorite location in the galaxy. The constant freezing temperatures irritated her to no end, and she dreaded spending every day in a snowsuit. The base was always below freezing, and even the living quarters were too cold for comfort. Leia had decided a while ago that there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do for a warm shower.

The Princess walked down the corridor, data pad in hand, passing the hangar. As she walked by, she caught a glimpse of Han Solo on the loading ramp of the Millenium Falcon, arguing with Chewbacca about something called a hydrospike lift. Even in its questionable condition, the Falcon probably had a hot water tank.

She took it back; there was one thing she wouldn't do for a hot shower.

Leia continued down the hall, barely looking in front of her, her entire attention devoted to her datapad. Things weren't looking good around the base. Without some basic military essentials, the rebels wouldn't last much longer, even without Imperial attack. She knew that Rieekan was working on putting together a supply run, but the base was stretched extremely thin and there weren't many freighters to be spared.

Leia stopped in her tracks, looking up from her datapad. She just might know of a freighter that could be spared. Turning the corner into the command center, she sat her datapad down and cleared her throat.

"General Rieekan?" She asked, looking over the older man's shoulder.

The General turned around to meet her. "Princess," he greeted. "Any news?"

"I'm afraid our situation is more dire than we estimated," she said slouching down onto the wall of the ice base. "Without a supply run, I give us," she poked her datapad. "A month. Tops."

Rieekan sighed and put his head in his hand. "A month?"

Leia nodded. "Yes, but I have an idea. A stupid one."

"I'm listening."

* * *

"Excuse me, Your Worship," she heard the gruff voice of everyone's favorite smuggler quickly approaching her from behind.

Without looking up from the report she was reviewing, she answered. "Yes, Captain Solo?"

Han grabbed her arm to get her attention. "Did you volunteer me for some supply run to Ord Mantell?"

The accusation got her attention and she made eye contact with him. "I did, because the base is in desperate need of supplies and you happen to have a rather large freighter at your disposal."

Han sighed. "You think I don't have better things to do? Wasn't I just telling you about the price on my head?"

Leia finally withdrew her arm from his grasp. "Yes, but from what I've heard, you don't have the money yet. If you complete this mission, I'll personally assure that you are given all the necessary funds to pay off whatever Hutt you've irratated."

He frowned at her, but eventually gave in, knowing it was best to pick his battles with the princess. Without even saying a word of departure, he took off down the corridor toward the command center.

* * *

Kneading her sore muscles, Leia walked slowly into the command center, where she found herself spending most of her time these days. She couldn't remember her last full night of sleep, not awakened by a bitter cold or a rampant nightmare. She crashed into a chair in a very un-princess-like manner. The fortified bunker seemed strangely empty, so empty that she only identified four other figures in the room. She looked at the time on the datapad that she now spent hours at a time looking at. No wonder there were no people in the command center. Base time was 2300, way past operating hours. She figured that three of the four people she had seen were the overnight shift, monitoring for an unexpected nighttime attack, but who was the fourth individual?

Looking through one of the glass monitors, she made out the face of the infamous smuggler speaking to General Rieekan. What had them up so late? Was it the mission she had proposed? Leia focused on listening to their conversation.

She had never been trained to eavesdrop, per say, but her father taught her the importance of always hearing what others were saying.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I just don't have anyone to send with you," the somber voice of the older general said softly, as though he didn't want anyone to hear what he was saying.

"There has to be someone," Han said, disgruntled. "This isn't the kind of thing Chewie and I can pull of on our own. I'll need at least one other person to help with the negotiations and probably and intel droid for anything we might need with the ship."

"I can't spare anyone, Solo," Rieekan said, holding up a hand.

Leia didn't exactly know when she had risen from her chair or walked across the center, but she heard her own voice loud and clear. "I'll do it."

The two men looked at her. "No," they said simultaneously.

 _No!_ Her brain screamed at her. _You don't need to be going anywhere with Han Solo. You can't even take care of yourself._

Her tongue betrayed her though. "Why not? I can help with negotiations, and I have a droid that can talk to your ship."

"How long have you been listening?" Han asked.

Before she got the chance to answer, Rieekan interrupted. "Princess, it's too dangerous, and I need you here. End of discussion."

Suddenly, the sleep deprivation, anger, and frustration all caught up to her at once. Leia snapped. "When are you going to stop treating me like a child, Carlist?"

Han suddenly felt like he was intruding on a very private moment.

"Leia, I told your father-"

"That you would protect me. Yes, I know. But my father would also understand that this rebellion needs supplies. I'm clearly cut out for this mission, Carlist. Let go. I'm not Alderaan's little Princess anymore," she said, almost yelling.

Silence echoed through the bunker for at least thirty standard seconds before the General spoke.

"Report back in the morning for your mission briefing," he said, and exited the command center.

Leia released a breath that she didn't know she had been holding.

"Well," Han spoke, startling Leia, who had forgotten that he was in the room. "You told him, Princess. I can't believe you wanted to be with me that bad. All you would've had to do was tell me."

"I don't want to be with you," Leia said, defensively. "I want off this damned planet. And I want to be treated like an adult for once."

Leia pushed past him and into the hallway. She held herself rigid and walked quickly back to her quarters. As soon as she closed the door behind herself, she sighed.

 _What am I doing?_ She asked herself. _So desperate to be treated like an adult that I volunteer for an off world mission with Han?_

She went about her nightly routine without thinking about it, too focused on her reasoning in the moment she volunteered. Why had she really said she'd go? Was it to escape the frigid cold of Hoth or to prove herself to Rieekan? Or was it something else entirely?

Leia had heard the rumors. She knew what people thought about her and Han. Sure, they spent time together. They were friends when they weren't at each other's throats about the newest problem on base. The two of them had been brought together mostly by Luke, who Leia was also quickly becoming close to. Luke, who she would be leaving alone on this cursed planet to freeze. She suddenly felt guilty.

At some point, she dissolved into a restless, but uninterrupted sleep, half dreading and half excited for what tomorrow's briefing would bring.

* * *

On the way to her briefing, Leia ran into Luke, quite literally. Dropping her datapad into the snow, she quickly picked it up, fearing the worst. Once she realized that there was no damage, she looked up at the young Jedi.

"Sorry," she said, frowning at him. She realized that she was apologizing for more than running into him.

"It's no problem," Luke said, a hand outstretched to help her up. "I'm assuming you're on your way to the briefing with Han."

Leia sighed. "News travels fast around the base."

If Luke knew, then the entire Rouge squadron must have known about the trip. There was no doubt in Leia's mind that they were already placing bets on what would take place on the trip. Of course, nothing would, but the Rouges were notorious for betting on everything, especially Leia's nonexistent love life.

Luke nodded. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always, with Han around," Leia answered reassuringly, and pulling the commander in for a hug.

She looked down at the data pad which displayed the time to be 0800, and she whirled around the corner into the briefing room where Han and Rieekan were already waiting for her. She panicked for a moment but then remembered that she wasn't late, they were early.

"I'm sorry," she apologized anyway. "I ran into Commander Skywalker in the hallway."

Han barely rolled his eyes, but Leia didn't miss it.

"It's alright, Princess," Rieekan said, turning around. "If you and Captain Solo would take a seat, I'll explain your mission."

* * *

The mission was a bit more complex than the things Leia was used to. She figured a covert operative agent would probably be more useful in this situation but it quickly occurred to her that after the accident on Coruscant, they didn't have any spies left. She and Han were to infiltrate a weapons deal, posing as wealthy investors interested in the weapon trade, and trick the dealer, Bresage Padsay, into giving them some supplies which they would bring back to the base without drawing any attention from the Imperial forces on Ord Mantell.

Leia had been worried about the possibility of being recognized by their dealer, but Rieekan had assured her that this man had no interest in the Imperial Senate and would never have seen her face before.

Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO were cleared to leave the base at 1200 hours. Leia ironically found herself counting down the minutes. She longed for a warmer climate and something to do besides inventory. Ord Mantell would be right in the middle of the warm season, orbiting the Bright Jewel Sun just perfectly to provide sunshine and warmth for the duration of their trip. She packed some lighter uniforms and some actual clothes from her case that had made it to the Hoth base, which was not much.

Han met her in the hangar shortly before their departure, C-3PO falling in step behind her.

"So good to see you Captain Solo," the droid greeted, uncharacteristically cheerful.

"Yeah, nice to see you too Goldenrod," Han responded as the droid stepped past them onto the ship. "What's gotten into him?" He asked, looking at Leia.

"Maybe he's just happy to be getting off of this planet," she responded, boarding the ship. "As am I."

Han smiled as he palmed the door shut behind them.

As Leia boarded the Falcon and took her case into the crew quarters, she finally realized what she has volunteered for. _What am I doing?_ She thought, as she heard the engines of the ship begin to turn. She slowly ventured into the cockpit and strapped into her seat for takeoff. However, as she watched the icy planet disappear from view behind her, her fear slowly began to dim to a slight feeling in the pit of her stomach. _I'm going to be okay._

 **a/n: Review because I have no idea what I'm doing!**


	2. chapter 2

**a/n: I didn't give up on this story, I promise. I just had an absolutely wild weekend.**

 **Thank you all so much for your sweet reviews. They literally make me jump up and down like a child. So, here's chapter two.**

* * *

Once the coordinates had been successfully entered into the nav computer, Leia rose from her seat in the cockpit and walked out toward the main hold, followed by Han. They took a seat at the Dejarik table.

"We need a plan," she stated matter-of-factly.

"We have one," Han responded. "Hopefully we can pull this off." He threw down a datapad depicting the plan that he had made while waiting for her to pack. "I think we should head to Padsay's place immediately. Chewie'll send him a message letting him know he has some investors interested in his business. So you and I go in as these investors and convince him that we're legit."

Leia nodded, surprised that he was being serious for once.

"Of course, we'll have to assume different identities," he continued, sliding her a paper with identity information on it. "Mila and Caph Boltpost."

"Siblings?" She asked, hopefully.

Han chuckled. "Husband and wife."

She sighed. So much for him taking things seriously.

"Newlyweds, to be exact," he continued, despite the look on Leia's face. "Looking to make a return on their large inheritance from the family."

"Tell me why exactly we have to be married," she requested.

"Because, it looks better that way," he answered, leaning over the table. "You wanna be found out Princess?"

"It beats being married to you," she squinted, leaning in even closer.

"Relax. We have to be joined in holy matrimony for two days at the most," Han said.

"That seems a little long for me," Leia said with a smirk, quite enjoying making him angry.

Suddenly, they heard a noise from the cockpit. Chewbacca had piped up, but Leia couldn't understand what he was saying.

{You two already bicker like a married couple! This wont be any different,} the Wookie said, having listened into their conversation.

"Shut up!" Han yelled back from the hold.

"What's he saying?" Leia asked.

"Just reminding me that agreeing to this mission was a terrible idea," Han said smugly.

Leia rose from her seat. As she did so, she was overcome with a sudden sense of warmth, and realized that she was still wearing her snowsuit.

"I'm gonna go change," she said, walking to the door.

"I'm right behind you," Han said, but stopping to grab a cup of kaf before exiting the hold.

The Princess walked down the main corridor of the ship with purpose, eager to adorn some real clothes for once and headed into the crew quarters. She quickly shed her snowsuit and snow pants and grabbed a pair of grey pants and a light blue blouse from her case. As she removed her undershirt and turned around, she barely recognized herself in the mirror.

Han was headed to his own cabin to put away his cold weather gear when he noticed that the door to the crew cabin was open. He didn't mean to see her, but once he did, he had trouble pulling his attention away. Leia seemed to be inspecting herself in the mirror. He was seriously trying not to pry, and he definitely didn't want her to see him, so he quickly pulled himself back around the corner. He really hadn't seen anything that she hadn't shown him in the past when she had an injury or needed to change in front of him. She wasn't naked.

There was only one thing that Han noticed that he had never noticed before. Leia was strong for her size. She had rippling muscles down her abdomen and upper arms. It was something that he never would've pinned on her before this moment, but it made sense. He thought back to the few times he had seen her overpower larger men in a physical fight or lift something that he never would've expected her to.

Leia was a Princess, but she was also a soldier.

As he entered his cabin, the smuggler was suddenly overwhelmed with the mess scattered around the room. Things that had no other place on the Falcon generally found themselves on the floor in random places around the ship. In order to avoid a comment from the snarky Princess, he had thrown it all into his cabin at the last second. He started putting things away, confused as to why the mess was bothering him in the first place. Leia was really starting to rub off on him.

* * *

The trip to the Bright Jewel system took only 5 standard hours in hyperspace. Leia found herself passing the time by reading the information about her assumed identity, but she soon got bored, as she always did on lengthy space trips. She decided to find someone to talk to; even Chewbacca would be better than nobody. It took her a few minutes. When she looked into Chewie's cabin, he was asleep on his hammock, and C-3PO was nowhere to be found. Reluctantly, she turned and walked toward the cockpit. Han looked up from the computer when she walked in. She sank into the co-pilot seat slowly.

"Very bold of you to sit in Chewie's chair," Han said, leaning back in his own seat. "He won't be happy."

"Well, don't tell him, and we won't have that problem," she suggested.

"Yeah, don't worry Princess," he turned and looked out the front window of the cockpit. "He'll know, but I think he actually likes you, so he probably won't care."

Leia smiled inwardly at his comment.

"Well it's still a few hours 'til Ord Mantell," Han said, pulling open a storage compartment on the wall of the cockpit. From it, he produced a deck of cards. "Wanna play a few hands?"

Leia sat forward. "Deal me in."

* * *

When the Millennium Falcon landed on the docking bay and Han opened the bay doors, the first thing Leia felt was the warmth coming from down the corridor. It made her want to run down the loading ramp and run around in the sun like a child, exactly what she was trying to prove she wasn't. Still, it had been so long since she had been warm.

Han emerged from the cockpit and walked over to where Leia was sitting on the floor next to the window, letting the sun stream in and warm her up already. He stretched out a hand and helped her up. Looking at her in the eyes, he asked "Are you ready?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "As I'll ever be, I guess."

Han made final preparations with Chewie and went to change into some warm-weather clothing. Leia briefly wondered what that would entail as she changed out of her pants and into a nice skirt more becoming of a wealthy young woman and less of a rebelling Princess.

They stepped out of their cabins almost simultaneously and Leia allowed herself a quick glance at Han's appearance. His usual blood stripe pants had been switched out for a pair of regular, navy blue ones, and he wore an off white, button down shirt (significantly cleaner than the one he had been wearing when she first met him on the Death Star). She thought the outfit made him look younger. Without the usual utility belt and holster around his waist and no cargo vest adorning his chest, he looked almost at ease.

Instead of voicing any of this, she said "No holster? What if we get into trouble?"

Han pulled up his shirt just enough to show her the blaster tucked into his waistband. "We're covered."

He was hafway to the loading ramp of the Falcon when he heard her pipe up again.

"What about me?" She asked.

He turned slowly and let himself actually look at her outfit. What _about_ her? There was nowhere to hide a blaster under the flowing clothing that she had chosen, and wearing a holster under the skirt wasn't an option, due to its light grey color. He suddenly remembered the strength he had noticed earlier. She'd definitely had her basic training. The alliance trained their soldiers to do whatever it took to stay alive, due to their limited numbers. He opened a storage cabinet and pulled out a few sheathed fighting knives.

"You know how to use these?" He asked, holding them out to Leia.

She nodded. "I was taught. My parents thought it was important that I could use hidden weapons in my days as a senator."

Han smiled proudly as he watched her tuck them into her shirt. "There's so much that I've yet to learn about you, Princess."

"And so much you never will, Solo."

* * *

Walking down the streets of Ord Mantell City, Leia slowly realized that she didn't belong. She was worried at first, but then she looked at Han. He seemed to stand out of the crowd as well. He hadn't said anything about her outfit, so it must not have been too out of place.

As they walked to the other side of the city, however, she started to notice the atmosphere changing. The slum-like nature of the inner city gave way to high rise buildings adorned with gold and silver, and Leia started to feel vastly _underdressed._

Han felt her tense up beside him, and grabbed her arm reassuringly. He pulled her into one of the more ornate buildings and toward the elevators. He punched the button to take them to the top floor of the massive skyscraper. Leia shifted uncomfortably in place, way out of her comfort zone on this mission. She quickly reviewed the information about her identity in her head.

As the elevator doors dinged open, Han held out his arm for her to take. Without thinking, she did. The floor that they had ridden to seemed to be a large lounge suite for a party, but the entire floor seemed empty. The large ballroom was completely unoccupied and the dining room seemed deserted. Han looked down at Leia and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged.

Suddenly a booming voice rose from the lounge behind them. "So, you two are the investors?"

The two rebels turned around slowly to meet the voice. "Yeah," Han said, surprisingly nonchalantly.

"You don't look like the wealthy, spoiled kids that normally show up here," Padsay said, raising a cigarette to his lips.

Han cleared his throat and spoke in their defense. "I'm Caph Boltpost. And this is my wife Mila. We may be wealthy and spoiled, but we certainly aren't kids."

Leia winced internally, but smiled and nodded toward the man laying on the lounge chair. "Nice to meet you," she said, stronger than she expected to.

"So you two are interested in my... business," the man grunted.

"Yeah," Han said. "We've got some off-world accounts full of credits that we inherited recently, and we're looking to make a return on it."

Leia cringed again. Han sounded completely unconvincing and rehearsed. She knew that they were going to be found out immediately, but Padsay seemed completely unaware.

"I'll tell you what," the weapons dealer said, sitting up in his chair and looking at the young couple. "I'm normally not so accepting, but since your friend on your ship took the time to write that sweet message, I'll consider you two."

Leia glanced at Han. Evidently Chewie had been quite convincing with his writing.

"Tonight, in the ballroom downstairs, I'm holding a gala," Padsay said, snuffing out his cigarette. "I'll have all of my potential investors there. I'll have the security detail put you two on the list."

Han and Leia looked at each other, concerned. This was never part of the plan. A gala? Leia hadn't been to any kind of party for years, and all of her appropriate clothing had been lost in the destruction of Alderaan. Eventually she broke the gaze.

"That would be wonderful," Leia said. "We'll see you tonight then?" She asked. "Normally we would stay and chat, but there's just so much to do in this city and my husband and I have some other business to attend to."

"Sure, I understand," Padsay said, nodding them toward the door. "I do hope you'll come tonight."

Han smiled, and the two turned around and headed toward the door.

"Wait," the man called after them. They turned around. "Have I seen you before?" He asked, looking at Leia.

Leia quickly shook her head. "No," she responded nervously. "I'm no one. I just have one of those faces, I guess."

"I see," Padsay said, scratching his chin.

With that, Han pulled her into the elevator and shut the door. The two stood in silence until the elevator had moved down a floor.

"He recognized me," Leia immediately said.

"He _thought_ he did," Han responded, trying to calm her. "Don't worry Princess. There's probably not a sole on this planet that knows who you are unless they're on the Falcon."

When the rebels walked out on the street, Leia immediately felt like something was wrong. She couldn't tell what, but she could feel it.

Han apparently noticed it too, nudging his head toward the rooftop behind them, where a man seemed to be watching them. He pulled them both into a city car and had them dropped off about two blocks away from the holding bay where the Falcon was dropped off, making sure they weren't followed. They walked back to the docking ring with their heads down and practically ran up the loading ramp.

Leia immediately began pulling the weapons out of her shirt. "Why were they following us?" She asked, angrily.

"Relax," Han said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "He's probably just making sure we're legitimate."

"We're not!" Leia pointed out.

Chewie walked in at this exact moment and began asking questoins that Han immediately began to answer.

"Yes. No, we're fine. Yes," Han said. "And I guess we have a gala to prepare for."

He threw a wink at Leia, who rolled her eyes. "I guess we do."

 **a/n: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**


	3. chapter 3

**a** **/n: I'm so happy that this story is being received the way it is. Your reviews make me overjoyous and I'm glad that the characterization seems accurate. That has been my biggest struggle with this story.**

 **Sorry once again for the late update and the length of this chapter. I had to begin some renovations on my apartment, but they're almost done.**

 **Thanks again!**

* * *

"What do you mean, shopping?" Leia asked, once again arguing with Han.

"I mean that you need a dress for this gala," He responded, barely paying her any attention and searching through his own closet. They were both in his cabin and Leia was sprawled out on the bed in exasperation.

Han wished that she was sprawled out on his bed for a different reason, and Leia would never tell you, but she wished the same thing.

"I have plenty of dresses," Leia said, sitting up and glaring at him. "I'm a princess."

"No offense, Your Highness, but you're going to need something a little less senatorial," he said, finally giving up on his closet. "And evidently I'm going to need something to wear as well."

Leia sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. "Han," she whined, once again acting like a child. This time she caught it, and corrected herself. "Fine. We'll leave for the city center in ten minutes," she said and abruptly left his cabin. Han shook his head and chuckled at her behavior. The Princess was almost always insufferable, but sometimes it was adorable.

* * *

In the early afternoon, the city center was bustling with activity. Leia found herself involuntary holding onto Han's arm at many times just to keep from being left behind in the huge crowd.

They had already finished their shopping. Han had a nice tux and Leia a long cocktail dress that she hadn't shown to Han, but she had assured him that they would match. Han had never much enjoyed shopping for clothes, especially with women, but this trip hadn't been terrible. Leia had found the dress she wanted quickly and easily, and they paid instantly with an Alliance issued credit chip. (Leia had insisted that they not use Alliance funds, but Han had assured her that it was okay because it was necessary to complete their mission.)

As they walked further into the shopping center, looking for anything they might have forgotten, Han felt his stomach growl. He looked down at the watch on his wrist. They hadn't had anything to eat for about seven and a half hours, and the food at the gala was likely to be scarce if they got any.

Han looked down at the small woman beside him. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

She stopped walking for a moment. She hadn't even been thinking about food. Come to think of it she was very hungry. "Yeah," she responded tentatively, as if asking a question.

"Okay," Han said, wondering what was happening in her head.

They found a nice place that was serving lunch after walking about a block. They sat down and ordered. After the waiter left, Han began to snicker.

"What?" Leia asked, once again exasperated with the older man.

"It's just," he chuckled. "If you would've told me a year ago that I would be on a lunch date with Princess Leia on Ord Mantell I would've laughed so hard they would've heard it a system over."

Leia felt her face get warm. "This is the farthest thing from a date, Captain Solo."

"Here we go again with the formalities," Han smiled and took a sip of water. "You can call me Han, Princess."

"If you call me Leia," she answered, crossing her arms on the table.

"Now see, that's a bit different," he said. "If I slip up and call you by your name in front of Mon Mothma or someone else important, it'll seem disrespectful."

"I don't think so," she said. "I think it just might seem like we're friends."

Han thought for a moment. "I guess that's ok, Leia."

"Well I guess it is, Han," she returned.

In Han's mind, his name sounded more gorgeous than it ever did before coming from her lips. Images flashed through his mind of her whispering his own name into his ear in an intimate setting or screaming it into the night air of their shared bedroom.

No. No, no, no. He was not thinking about Leia in the bedroom. He was not thinking about the way she would writhe underneath him or shiver beneath his touch. No, he wasn't because they were at lunch in the afternoon on an _alliance mission._

He returned from his thoughts when the waiter sat down their food and found Leia staring at him as though she was trying to read his mind. Han was grateful in this moment that she couldn't read minds.

 _You aren't reading my mind, right?_ He thought, as though he could catch her if she were.

Han thanked the waiter and quickly tried to bring up a conversation topic. "So, you got a dress?" He asked, taking a bite into some kind of sandwich.

"Yes," she answered plainly. "I hope it's appropriate."

"I still think you should've let me help, Leia," he said. "This planet isn't exactly looking for your fashion sense."

"Honestly, I think I did well." This was the truth. Leia was confident that the dress she picked was going to fit right in at the gala. However, she was a bit skeptical of wearing the outfit. It wasn't the type of clothing that she regularly came into contact with, and she had probably never owned a dress like it.

"Well then. I'll just have to take your word for it," Han responded, taking a bite of his lunch.

* * *

Back on the Falcon, Han was being chased around by Chewie and C-3PO, who kept asking questions about the mission, while Leia was attempting to get ready for the gala with her limited supplies.

After braiding her hair into an elegant updo, she decided to take a break for a cup of kaf. When she returned to her cabin, she saw the dress hanging on the sliding door to the 'fresher. She still wasn't confident in the dress she had chosen, and she was extremely wary of the shoes. If for some reason they had to exit quickly, it wasn't going to go well in the tall, black heels she had picked.

Leia grabbed the dress and examined it closer. _Well, its safe to say that no one is going to treat me like a kid anymore._ She thought, and began to change.

Han, in his own cabin, examined the tuxedo that he had purchased for the event. It had been so long since he had dressed up, he hoped he still knew how to tie a necktie.

* * *

Leia stepped out of her cabin at 1830 on the dot, and knocked on Han's door. No one answered. She wandered around the cabins for a few minutes, looking for him. When she didn't find him, she checked the main hold. He wasn't there either, so she walked all of the corridors on the ship. There was no sign of the Captain. Finally, she checked the cockpit, where she found him fully dressed with his feet kicked up, attempting to tie the slim piece of fabric around his neck. She chuckled, and he suddenly became aware of her presence.

His eyes slowly scanned her appearance. She was dressed in a black evening gown that came to the floor, and tall black heels. He allowed his vision to move upwards to the white fur she adorned and plunging neckline of the dress. Even higher, her hair was pulled back with a few tendrils hanging loose and her lips painted a deep red. Leia was stunning.

And she looked completely out of place standing in the cockpit of his ship.

When he finally found words, Han spat out a "Wow."

Leia found herself blushing slightly, but moved toward him, ever defiant.

Han continued, walking toward her as well. "Looking significantly less like a Princess tonight, Princess."

Leia suddenly frowned. "And to think, I was going to offer to help you with your tie."

Han smiled. "You look beautiful, Leia. Stunning. And, if Rieekan saw you now, he would never treat you like a kid again."

She smirked and placed her hands on his chest, beginning to work with the tie. "If Rieekan saw me now, he would faint."

Han smiled and waited for her to finish. Suddenly, it seemed as though there was very little space between them. Han could easily tilt his head down to capture her lips. But he wouldn't. He would never.

As soon as he went to pull away from her grasp, she kissed him. It wasn't hard or hungry, not filled with passion like he had always expected it to be, but it happened. She pulled away as quickly as it had begun.

She wanted to run back to her cabin and cry. She wanted to play it off like a joke. She wanted to claim that she was overcome by his physical appearance in the moment, but she didn't. Leia simply stood there and looked him in the eyes.

Without missing a beat, Han held out his arm. "Well I believe we have a gala to attend, Leia."

She cleared her throat and took his arm.

* * *

The gala could only be described as a whirlwind of color and music. Beings from every planet and of every race were in attendance. Their was an air of joyfulness about the room, but it was overlain with something else. Fear. Everyone there was under a watchful eye, whether by Padsay and his helpers or the Empire.

Leia felt vastly uncomfortable in her low-cut dress, with Han's hand at the small of her back. Han, who was making small talk with some of the other investors while she was distracted by the whole spectacle.

Ever since their chaste kiss on the ship, he had been pushing the boundaries of their personally space. All night, he head been connected to her in some way.

Everything in the room seemed to be red. The women were dressed in red, and the punch was made with some kind of red liquor. The small band wore red uniforms, and the sunset out the huge window bathed the room in red light.

Then all of the color turned to blue. The Bright Jewel Sun had set on the horizon of the city and the room was bathed in a bright blue light. The men's suits were blue and the art on the walls was shone with blue light. The band began to play louder, a song that was slow and reminded her of her homeworld.

Han held out his hand to her. "Care to dance, Princess?" He asked quietly, into her ear. She nodded.

As the music swelled, they entered the dance floor and he pulled her close. To any onlookers, they would just look like a normal couple in love, swaying to the music. Leia quickly realized that this was not the case.

"So here's the plan," he said. "We split up. Both try to find Padsay and corner him. When we do, we turn on our comms so that Chewie and Goldenrod can hear us."

The comms were new technology from the alliance, expertly hidden behind their ears and connected to the ship.

"And that's when we spin our little deal on him," Leia continued, slightly shifting their dance posture so that she could speak in his ear.

"Exactly," he said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek and a wink, leaving her on the dance floor.

She stood there for only a moment, thinking to herself. _Shit._


	4. chapter 4

**a** **/n: Thank you all for your touching reviews. They really make me want to continue this story. I'm starting to come up with some really large plans for my take on the Star Wars universe. Definitely expect more stories from me in the future.**

 **I wanted to apologize for some small grammatical errors in the last chapter. I was very busy and didn't have much time to edit, but I wanted to get the chapter up as soon as possible. So, I'm sorry about that. Here's chapter 4. Enjoy!**

* * *

Leia strolled the hallway that hopefully lead to Bresage Padsay. She had virtually no idea of the layout of the large penthouse and was basically hoping to accidentally stumble upon the man. Which she did. She entered the room quietly, but he saw her come in. He was surrounded by a few other people but beckoned her anyway.

"Mrs. Boltpost!" He called. "Please, join us!"

Leia walked forward towards the circle of seemingly important people. This entire mission was extremely risky. If any of these investors recognized her, she and Han would have to make a quick exit.

She reached up, turning her earpiece on, disguising it as a subtle scratch of her ear.

Outside in the foyer, Han heard the static of her comm turning off and then immediately shorting out. "Leia?" He asked under his breath. "Shit, Leia answer me. Say something."

But he heard nothing from the Princess. Instead, he heard the voices of an angry Wookie and a confused droid.

"Captain Solo, it appears that the Princess's comm is offline." Threepio chirped.

"No, really?" Han asked sarcastically. "Chewie, get her back."

{I'm trying,} the Wookie roared.

People in the room were starting to notice Han talking to himself, so he decided to go look for Leia. If he could be in the room with her, they wouldn't need two comms connected to the ship, but first he had to find her.

He walked down the corridors, every now and then emerging into a ballroom or dining area. He stopped to grab a flute of champagne, hoping it would make him look less frantic. As he travelled throughout the penthouse, he began to see people whispering and backing away from him. At first, he thought it was just because he was alone, but he slowly began to realize that they were onto him. When he saw the first armed guard, he started panicking.

Leia was in a room that she could only describe as a throne room. She supposed that Bresage Padsay was a kind of royalty, albeit a different type than herself. They were locked in a conversation alone, as everyone else had left the room when Leia immediately started talking about credits.

"So you're willing to invest half a million credits into my business, and the only return you want is... supplies?" Padsay asked.

"My husband and I are patrons to a small militia on our home planet," Leia said, nonchalantly lying. "We only wish to arm them, but with the Empire running around, sticking their noses in every planet's business, it's becoming a bit hard."

The dealer sat back in his chair. "I see," he said, sizing her up.

Leia was quite proud of her performance as a wealthy snob. The job was moderately challenging for her. However, if you asked some people, she used to be a wealthy snob. Han Solo would probably agree with those people.

 _Han_. She suddenly thought. _Where is he? Why hasn't he said anything?_ She reached up to touch her ear and realized that she could no longer hear the low frequency humming that meant that the earpiece was working.

"Is something wrong?" Padsay asked, jolting her out of her trance.

Leia dropped her hand. "Oh it's nothing," she said, covering. "Sometimes I just get these earaches."

"It's quite alright," Padsay said, leaning forward once again. "So if you could get those credits transferred by tomorrow, I could have the weapons on your ship by the next-"

He was interrupted by the door slamming open. There stood a rattled Han Solo, a champagne flute dangling from his hand.

"H-Caph?" Leia said, almost saying the wrong name. She noticed Padsay snapping his head toward her, clearly noticing her slip up.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt," Han said, almost smirking. "But it's time to go Mila."

Leia shook her head. "No, Mr. Padsay and I were just discussing the final details of our deal."

Han looked her in the eyes. "No, Mila, we have to leave now."

"What's the big rush?" Padsay asked, extremely confused.

Han frowned. "We have that thing," he pointed to Leia to help him out. "With the ship."

Leia still looked concerned, but ultimately trusted Han. Something had to be wrong. She still wasn't happy though.

"Right!" She said, feigning enlightenment. "The ship!"

Padsay looked skeptical. "Right, well, you know how to reach me."

Leia stood up, shook his hand, and started walking toward the door. "Yes, we'll be in touch."

"No, I really don't think we will," Han said quietly, grabbing Leia's hand and slamming the door behind them.

"What the hell!?" Leia whisper-yelled at Han once the door was closed. "I was this close!" She held up her hand to show him.

"That's great, Leia but they're onto us."

She suddenly tensed. "What?" She asked flatly.

"They know we're not legit," he whispered.

"Do they know we're-"

"Alliance?" Han finished for her. "I don't think so, but we have to leave now."

They turned toward the door and were suddenly met by a large man in a black suit.

"I'm afraid you two are going to have to come with me," the man said.

Leia tensed beside him, and Han smiled. "Well, don't worry, we were just leaving anyway."

The man stepped in front of them again. "No, you're not leaving."

"Yes we are," Han said, and gave the man a swift right hook, knocking him onto the floor.

Leia gaped.

"Let's go, sweetheart," Han said, grabbing her hand and heading for the door. They walked swiftly, almost running, which inevitably brought more attention to themselves. Soon, guards were chasing them down the halls of the penthouse, and Han had his blaster out, firing behind them while pulling Leia along. Guests were screaming and backing away. Many were heading toward the elevators.

Leia desperately wanted something to fire at the men behind them, but her blaster was tucked into its holster under her dress. She couldn't get to it while running like this.

They approached the stairwell and she virtually ripped her arm out of Han's hand, more sliding down the stairs than running. The rebels ran out the side door rather than the front and heard the guards run right by them.

"Okay, we have a little time-" Han started. "What in the kriffing hell are you doing?!"

Leia was bent on the ground, ripping her dress up her leg and pulling out her blaster. She also beat her shoe on the ground to take off a chunk of the heel. "Making it easier to run... or fight. Whichever we end up doing."

Han looked bewildered for a second. _Of course she would know what to do. She's a kriffing Princess._

There was a sudden noise down the alley and both Han and Leia aimed their blasters. Slowly, a figure moved into view. It was one of Padsay's watchmen. Leia took the shot as soon as he was in range, her blaster set to stun. The man fell, but the sound alerted others to their presence.

"C'mon," Han yelled, taking off running down the alley. Leia followed, now not having much trouble keeping up with the taller man. They dove behind a waste disposal tank and found themselves in a shootout. After firing off a few shots, Han knew that they couldn't keep their position for long. Leia knew this too.

"Go, I'll cover you," Leia said.

"Are you insane?" Han asked. "They'll kill you. You go."

She didn't have to be told twice. Leia took off running in the direction of the ship, but had almost no idea where she was going. She had no idea where Han was either. She kept running, but was starting to get turned around. All of the walls looked the same. She suddenly felt as trapped as a cave-in on Hoth. She was back on the Death Star. Wanting to scream, she stopped running and just listened, trying to ground herself or hear one of Padsay's henchmen approaching.

A figure came barreling out of one of the dark alleys. Leia aimed her blaster, but put it down immediately.

Instinctively, she threw her arms around Han as soon as she saw him.

"Yeah, yeah, its okay Princess," he said, as she looked extremely panicked. "I think I lost them, but we need to get moving fast so that they don't track us to the ship."

Leia nodded and followed him.

* * *

The cargo door to the Falcon hissed open and Han and Leia climbed the ramp into the ship. Leia immediately threw her blaster down and looked at herself. Her shoes and dress were ruined. Her hair had fallen out of place and she was covered in scrapes that were already beginning to bruise.

Han looked and felt about the same. At some point, his jacket had been lost and his shoes were scuffed in a million different places. Along with this, he also had a particularly bad blaster burn adorning his right shoulder.

Chewie came into the hold, immediately tending to them.

{Is everything alright? Are you two hurt? Did they follow you here?} He asked.

"We're fine. Just a little roughed up," Han answered. "And no, they didn't follow us. We lost them right after they put this gouge in my shoulder."

{Okay. Let me know what I can do.}

"Um, get the ship ready for takeoff." Han requested. "Just in case the _did_ follow us."

Chewie left for the cockpit and Leia slumped into the seat by the Dejarik table.

"We're not leaving," Leia said. "Not without those supplies."

"We are if they find us," Han answered.

They were silent for a few moments.

"They recognized me," she said, guiltily.

"No they didn't," Han immediatly said. "They just figured out that we weren't real people."

"Well then why would they send the whole crew after us?" She asked, looking up at him. "If you had given me a few more second with Padsay-"

"Then we might be dead," Han finished.

"No, we would have the weapons and supplies we need to make it through the month!" She yelled defensively.

"Oh, so now I'm the bad guy because I saved your life," Han answered.

"Well if you had been a little more focused, maybe you would've noticed your surroundings and diffused the situation, instead of drinking champagne," Leia said.

"The champagne was-you know what? It doesn't mattter," Han started. "You wanna know why I wasn't focused? I was too busy tryin' to figure out why _someone_ kissed me before we left."

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault?" Leia asked.

"Well I don't think you should go around kissing guys when you don't mean it!"

"Well who said I didn't mean it?!"

They stood barely an inch from each other's faces.

"What?" Han breathed out.

"I kissed you," Leia sighed. "Because I'm attracted to you."

Despite himself, Han started laughing. He squinted his eyes and laughed, and Leia started laughing too. They were laughing at each other even though they were fighting and had just failed a mission and it was vastly inappropriate.

When Han finally composed himself he spoke. "Well, Princess. I was waiting for you to come around."

This time their kiss was hungry. It was passionate and hard and it made Leia dizzy. This time, the timing and the was all wrong. They were extremely beat up and Han was bleeding from the shoulder. Her dress was ripped up the side and her shoes absolutely ruined. This put her at en extereme height disadvantage. The kiss was a mess, but it was perfect.

"This argument isn't over," Leia said, pulling away.

"Oh, definitely not," Han responded, leaning in to kiss her again.

Threepio, who was watching the whole thing unfold from the corridor, spoke to himself. "I will never fully understand human behavior."

* * *

 **A/n: Reviews make a story so much better. Let me know how I'm doing before you go?**


	5. chapter 5

**a/n: Thank you all once again for all your sweet reviews!**

 **I've been writing a lot lately. Because of the crazy snowstorms in New England, all of my classes for the past few days have been cancelled. Luckily, that provides me with the perfect opportunity to finish this story and work on my writing skills!**

* * *

Han hissed as the alcohol cut into his skin.

"I'm sorry," Leia muttered for the twelfth time, pulling the bottle away from his blistering shoulder. The fact that he was shirtless wasn't helping her medical skills or concentration. "If you had any bacta on this ship, this would be much easier."

"I thought I did!" He defended.

She cringed as she poured the crude cleaning material onto his shoulder again.

They had changed out of their clothes from the gala. Leia threw on a light jumper, embroidered with flowers, and a pair of alliance issue althletic pants. Han had changed out of his shirt and into new pants, but couldn't change back into a shirt without treating the wound on his shoulder. He had walked into Leia's cabin with his best pout, and here they were, Leia pouring Correlian Whiskey onto his skin because he didn't have any actual medication.

"I'm done, now let me dress it," Leia said, washing her hands and grabbing a bandage for the burn. As she began to wrap his arm, he studied her face. When she was finished, she looked into his eyes. "All done," she said, washing her hands again.

Han took a moment to admire her like this. In casual clothes, no makeup, and her hair in a simple braid, Leia looked so young. She looked innocent and naive, but she was so far from it. She tried so hard to keep people from seeing her as a child, but she was still just a kid. He had met her on the Death Star when she was only eighteen, and now she was twenty-one, barely old enough to legally drink the whisky sitting on the counter. Despite her young age, she had seen so much. It wasn't fair.

She finished washing her hands, and he pulled her close to where he sat on the edge of the counter. Leia was taken aback at first, but quickly remembered their situation. Their awkward situation.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled. "Anytime."

He pulled her in for a quick kiss that quickly escalated. After a few minutes, he reluctantly pulled away, needing to discuss an important matter.

"So," he began. "No one's found us yet, and we really need these supplies. How are we gonna get 'em?"

Leia thought for a moment, looking down at her hands. Suddenly, her face lit up. "I have an idea. A stupid one."

* * *

{We're going to _what?_ } Chewie asked, looking disapprovingly at the two humans.

"Steal the weapons," Han said, as if it were a completely normal idea. "Leia's plan."

Leia smiled.

"That doesn't sound wise at all," Threepio said. "I, for one, would feel much better if we just went back to the base and told the high command that we were unsucessful in our efforts to secure the weapons."

"That's not an option, Threepio," Leia countered. "We need these supplies, and we don't have anywhere else to get them."

"I'm with the Princess on this one," Han announced.

Over the next few hours, they planned a heist and began to get ready. They would enter the weapons warerhouse a few hours after dark, and load the bins they needed onto the Falcon. They only had thirty minutes between guard changes to get everything they needed onto the ship and into the air.

Chewie went out to scout the area and Han and Leia prepared the cargo hold. It was only 1000 on the chronometer. Chewie would be gone for a few more hours, and it wouldn't be dark for at least ten more.

As Leia threw down the last crate of who-knows-what to Han, he looked up at her. "What are we going to do all day?"

"What?" She called back, confused.

"It's not going to be dark for ages," Han said, setting down the crate and climbing out of the cargo hold. He brushed off his hands. "How are we gonna pass the time?"

Leia smiled devilishly. "I have an idea."

* * *

Teaching her Sabaac wasn't exactly what he had in mind when she gave him that look, but that's what they ended up doing.

"Nice hand, Leia. Eighteen is a pretty good score, but I'm afraid," he said, setting down his hand of three cards. "That I have twenty-one."

"Dammit," Leia cursed, throwing down her cards. "I thought that was gonna be the one."

Han smiled, shuffling the deck once again. "One more hand, huh Princess?"

"Sure," Leia said, preparing herself to be beaten again.

He dealt the cards and the round once again seemed to be going in Han's favor, as she found herself with only five points in her hand. The next card she picked up however, happened to be the Idiot.

"No way," she mumbled under her breath, and called the round.

Han was shocked. "An Idiot's Array!" He exclaimed. "Are you _sure_ you've never played this game before?"

Leia smiled. "I'm sure. Princesses aren't usually the gambling type."

"Well, I think there's a lot about you that many people wouldn't expect," Han said, crossing his arms.

Leia arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. For instance, you hang around with rogue pilots and kiss smugglers," he answered.

Leia smirked, leaning over to kiss him once again. "That's true," she said.

Suddenly, he shifted over to cover her lips once more, both of them sitting on the floor of the main hold. This kiss quickly escalated into something more, Han wrapping his arms around her middle. She responded in kind, tangling her fingers in his hair.

It was a completely new sensation for Leia. Sure, she'd kissed guys before, but this time, it was different. This time, she could see a potential future, and it scared her a little. However, there was still the problem with the bounty.

"Han," she pulled away. "We can't do this."

"Wh- why not?" He asked.

"Because, as soon as we finish this mission, you're going to take your credits and leave," Leia said, looking crestfallen. "And I'm fairly sure you won't come back."

"Wait, Princess," Han said. "If you're willing to take the risk, I'll stay."

"What?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I'll stay. It's not like the rebellion isn't already hiding from the Empire. We'll just have to hide from a few bounty hunters too, now."

This made Leia laugh a bit. Han thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He leaned in to kiss her once again.

This is how Chewbacca found them. The Wookie roared and the two jumped apart.

"Chewie," Han greeted nervously. "Did you find any information about the warehouse?"

The Wookie roared again and walked by Han into the cockpit. Han quickly followed him, trying to cover for himself and Leia. The Princess smirked and shook her head.

* * *

As she stepped out of the shower, Leia felt renewed. She'd just taken a warm shower on a warm ship on a warm planet. She was becoming spoiled. Returning to the icy terrain on Hoth would be a nightmare after this trip. She quickly changed into a cherry red top and a pair of work pants. There still were a few hours of daylight left, and she was going to go see what she could help out with on the Falcon.

When she stepped out of her cabin, she called for Han, expecting to find him next door, but he wasn't there. She ventured into his room and checked the adjoining fresher, where he also wasn't to be found. Leia huffed. The ship wasn't that big, but she seemed to keep losing him.

She set out looking for him, or any other sign of life on the ship, but it seemed deserted. Eventually, she stumbled across C-3PO, who wasn't quite alive, but he might know where the other two were.

"Threepio," Leia inquired. "Have you seen Chewbacca or Captain Solo?"

"I'm afraid not recently, Princess," the droid answered. "Captain Solo left the ship a few hours ago, and the Wookie is asleep in his cabin."

"Oh," Leia said softly. Han had left and invited her along? Or at least told her where he was going? "Well, thank you."

The Princess wondered around the ship, eventually coming to the cargo ramp. The door was closed but the ramp was clearly down. Han hadn't planned to be gone long. Where could he be?

She palmed open the door and walked out onto the loading ramp. The docking bay was open to the air and the sun beat down at the perfect angle. Leia looked up and allowed herself to be warmed by the Jewel Star. She hadn't planned to be out there long, but eventually she surrendered to the warmth and grabbed a book from the shelf inside the door.

She read the book for about an hour. It was a Correlian love story about a man and woman who are overtaken by their feelings for each other while stuck in the great Correlian story. Leia found it a bit dramatic for her taste but continued reading anyway. About halfway through the book, she began to worry. _Where would he have gone?_ She began to think. _Why would he leave when someone could recognize him from the gala?_

After a few more minutes of this, she was sure that Han had been attacked on his outing and was probably killed. She panicked for a moment, but calmed down when he unexpectedly walked up to her.

Han returned, bag in hand, and found her on the loading ramp of his ship, a copy of his least favorite book in front of her. She was laid out in the sun, wearing a striking, cherry red top. This whole situation suddenly felt very domestic.

He walked up and greeted her. "Enjoying the sun?"

She squinted up at him. "It's a nice change from Hoth. I was beginning to think that I'd never be warm again."

He smiled and palmed open the door for her. They went inside.

"So where have you been?" Leia asked, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the inside light.

"I went out to grab some food," he answered, setting the bag on the table. "We've got plenty stocked for the trip, but I figured we might as well have the real stuff while we can. You hungry?"

She looked at the chrono on the wall. 1800. There were only about two more hours of daylight until their plan kicked off.

"I could eat," Leia said, sitting down in front of him.

They ate with idle conversation. They talked about the base, about Luke, about what the next step was for the rebellion. Chewie eventually joined them and they began to discuss getting Leia some lessons on Shyriiwook. She seemed up to the idea, but wondered when she would ever have time.

* * *

Nighttime rolled around at about 2000 hours. There were three parts to the plan. Leia and Han were to set out on foot for the warehouse first, and Chewbacca would bring the Falcon around once he had their clearance. Once they were in, they had one guard shift cycle to load the boxes onto the freighter. Leia, Han and Chewbacca would do this, while Threepio watched the ship. Once they had everything they needed, they would take off. It was a simple plan, in theory, but there was a lot that could go wrong.

The two humans departed the ship shortly after nightfall. Getting to the warehouse was easy. Getting in would be harder. Leia looked down at the map that Chewie had drawn from his earlier scouting.

"It looks like the right freight entrance is our best bet," she said.

Han nodded and threw open the gate. The guards were on them in seconds, but there were only two. Han took one out with his blaster, and was prepared to turn and shoot the other, but Leia already had him on the ground unconscious, her blaster still at her hip.

Han chuckled.

"What?" Leia asked, stepping over the unconscious man.

"Nothing, Princess, you're just full of surprises," he answered. "Chewie, you're all clear."

The Millenium Falcon dipped into view and as soon as she landed, Chewbacca stepped out. Leia handed him the map. "The marked crates are the ones we need. Han and the Wookie immediately began loading the crates onto the ship, Leia watching the door. Everything was going smoothly, and they were almost finished, when Leia spotted a partially open crate. Curious, she wondered over to it, but not taking her eye off the door. They were running on borrowed time now, as it was almost time for the shift change. She opened the crate and immediately gasped.

Han ran over. "What's wrong?" He asked, looking from her to the door.

"No, nothing," she answered, calming him. "It's just... these are-"

"Alderaanian lilies," he finished. "They're beautiful, but what's a weapons dealer doing with a bunch of flowers?"

Leia thought for a moment. "They're antibacterial," she said. "We used to use them to clean cuts and bumps when I was a kid. Someone must be using them on a military level." She ran her hands through the crate.

"Well, lets take them," Han suggested. "They technically belong to you, I think."

Leia shook her head. "No, lets just get out of here."

"No seriously, if you take them, they won't end up in the Empire's hands," Han said.

Suddenly, there was a burst at the door. Five guards entered the warehouse.

"Run," Han muttered.

They ran back to the ship, barely avoiding blaster fire. Right before they entered the ship, one of the men got a shot off a bit to close to Leia and she whipped around, pulling out her blaster, and nailed him right in the chest.

The mechanical door hissed shut behind them, and Chewie immediately ran to the cockpit for takeoff. Leia was laughing joyously at their impeccable escape, as was Han. He suddenly picked her up into the air, blaster and all.

"That was brilliant!" He yelled. "Perfect shot! You're the best! I love you!"

Leia froze. Han immediately sat her down.

"I mean, your aiming skills," Han covered quickly. "I mean, you- that was- nice job."

Everything was suddenly too real. They didn't live on Ord Mantell. They weren't a wealthy married couple who pulled off heists for fun. They were soldiers, they had an alliance to get back to, and they were being unrealistic. Leia's expression suddenly turned cold.

{Han, get in here!} The Wookie bellowed, eager to take off.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" The man yelled back, running toward the cockpit.

When he went back to find her after takeoff, she was in her cabin with the door shut and locked.

 _Kriffing hell,_ he thought, and returned to his own quarters exasperated.

* * *

 **a/n: Your reviews truly do motivate me to write better and more often, so thank you.**


	6. chapter 6

**a/n: So, we've come to the end of this story. Sorry the final chapter took so long. I was having a very difficult time with how to end it. But, I eventually got there, so here it is.**

* * *

Leia sat on the bunk in her cabin. _The crew cabin._ She corrected herself, not hers. She had run away from Han when things started looking too serious. Now, she sat alone with the door locked as the ship lurched into takeoff. Sure, it was Han's ship and he could palm open the door whenever he wanted, but he wouldn't. He was too embarrassed.

After about 15 minutes of flying, Han sat the Falcon down in a small villiage just outside Ord Mantell City. He released the controls and hung his head in his hands. Chewbacca piped up.

{You really stepped in it this time,} the Wookie roared softly.

Han sneered at his copilot. "Thanks, Chewie," he said, angrily getting out of his seat.

{Where do you think you're going?} The bossy Wookie asked.

"To find a bar," Han replied. "We don't have clearance to go back to Hoth yet, and it's not safe to hang out in deep space with the Empire hanging around. We're safest hiding out here."

{There's whiskey on the ship,} Chewbacca countered.

"Yeah, but if I leave, it puts me farther away from the Princess."

Chewbacca scoffed. {Whatever.}

Leia looked out the glass window on the bulkhead in the crew cabin. Evidently, Han had finally lost his mind. It seemed that he had set the ship down in some wooded villiage, still on Ord Mantell. Slowly, it occurred to her that they probably hadn't reached the alliance about returning yet.

She began to feel some remorse about acting so immaturely about Han's outburst. This whole trip had been about proving that she was an adult, but storming off and hiding in her room was one of the most childlike behaviors she could think of. She threw on a sweater and stepped out of the cabin, looking for Han in order to apologize.

She walked into the cockpit, where she found no captain, but a droid and a Wookie.

"Where's Han?" She asked.

Chewbacca roared at her in response. Leia looked at her droid in confusion.

"Mistress Leia, Chewbacca says that Captain Solo went to a nearby bar to have a drink before returning to Hoth," Threepio interpreted.

"Thanks, Threepio," Leia answered, stepping out of the cockpit.

The golden droid followed her. "Your Highness, I however, do not advise following him. It's much to dangerous to be leaving the ship when we are in such a rush to leave."

Leia ignored the droid and the door to the ship hissed open and closed behind her.

* * *

The bar was mostly empty, surprisingly. It seemed that the mountain villiage Han had landed in was mostly deserted. It didn't take Leia long to find him among the few patrons. She sat down beside him silently. The bartender came up and addressed her, but she denied his offer for a drink.

"Look, Your Highness, if you came here to yell at me-"

"I came to apologize."

Han's eyes widened. He truly thought that this day would never come.

"What I did was immature," Leia said. "The way I reacted was inappropriate and I'm sorry."

"Wow," Han said, snickering a bit.

"Are you serious?" Leia bellowed. "I came all the way down here to find you in this bar- which was not easy, by the way- to apologize, and all you have to say is 'wow'?"

"There's the Leia I know," Han said, turning to her. "It's fine, Princess. Apology accepted."

He wanted to lean forward and capture her lips, but he resisted. It didn't feel like the right time. Instead, he held out his glass to her, which she accepted gratefully. After taking a long drink, she spoke again.

"I can't believe we did it," she said, laughing a bit. "I mean, it's been a long few days."

Han smiled. "It has, hasn't it? I haven't really noticed."

Leia returned his smile. "You know what? Me neither."

They were blatantly flirting at this point, completely unaware of their surroundings. Han had set them down in this inconspicuous town so that they definitely wouldn't run into any trouble from any corner of the galaxy. Or so he though.

While the two were making light chatter, someone lurked across the bar in the shadows, completely unnoticed by the young rebels. It wasn't until a shot shattered Han's glass that they started moving.

Immediately scrambling behind the bar for cover, both Han and Leia took their blasters out. Leia looked at him in surprise.

"I have no idea, Princess," he yelled over the continuous blaster fire. "I thought we were out of Padsay's range."

Han stood up to take a shot at their perpetrator and immediately recognized the armor of Boba Fett. He got one shot off, completely evaded by the bounty hunter's advanced shielding technology.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath, squatting back down beside Leia.

"So?" She asked impatiently.

"Not Padsay. I was right about being out of his range," he replied.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Leia deadpanned.

"But now we have larger problems," Han said.

Leia knew by his expression what they were dealing with. A bounty hunter out to make some money by delivering Han's head to Jabba the Hutt. Han always had the same expression when it came to bounty hunters.

By this time, Fett had already made it to the bar. They were losing time quickly. Han covered Leia to the door, and she stood looking back at the scene. Han popping up and down from behind the bar in a shootout with Fett that one of them would have to lose. Either Han or the bounty hunter weren't going to make it out alive.

However, as soon as Leia came to this conclusion, she also realized something else. Why wouldn't Fett be after her? She had a price on her head from the Empire twice as large as Jabba could ever pay. There was only one reason Fett wouldn't be coming after her.

He didn't know who she was or that she was there.

 _He doesn't see me._

Leia aimed her blaster, but immediately lowered it. There was nowhere to hit the armored man that she could stun him without first alerting her presence. She stood, looking at the armor, trying to find a weak spot. She finally found it, at the neck, but it would be difficult.

Leia never considered herself a great shot, but there were a lot of people on base that could tell you she was. Dodonna once told Han that she was the best shot he'd ever meet.

So she took the shot. Fett fell to his knees, and then to the floor.

Han was confused as he watched the man fall, but behind him was Leia. She had just made an impossible shot.

 _I'm sure her blaster was set to stun,_ Han thought to himself. Leia would never shoot to kill.

"C'mon," he said aloud, pulling Leia out the door and running toward the Falcon.

Han started yelling as soon as they were in the door, and two minutes later the Falcon was en route to the Hoth system.

* * *

Leia wandered into the cockpit and found Han with his head in his hands, massaging his temples. She sat down in the seat adjacent to him. She was waiting for him to start talking first. He didn't.

"Han, it's not your fault," she eventually piped up.

He raised his head to look at her. She wasn't upset. She wasn't yelling at him or trying to start a fight. She was being honest.

He didn't deserve it.

"It was," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "Jabba is after me, Leia. He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"I know that," she responded. "But it's nothing we can't handle together."

"No."

"No?" Leia asked, suddenly upset.

"No," Han said, standing from his seat. "This can't happen." He gestured between the two of them.

"What?" Leia asked, hurt.

"Because anyone who gets close to me gets hurt," Han continued. "Fett could've killed you in that bar."

"Han, I can take care of myself!" Leia exclaimed, standing from the co-pilot's chair and following him out the door.

He turned around to meet her. " I know that, Leia, but if something happened and it was my fault-"

"It wouldn't be your fault."

"It would," Han said, once again turning around. "I couldn't live with myself."

"So-What?" Leia asked. "You're just going to throw this away? Like nothing ever happened?"

"Perfect," Han replied. "We go back to base, unload the supplies, give our debriefing, and then we pretend like this never happened. We never talk about it at all."

Leia felt tears begin to prick at her eyes.

"I just need you to be safe," Han said, still not able to look at her. "And safe is as far away from me as you can get."

Leia tried not to sniff. She wouldn't let him know she was crying. "You're right," she said, her voice unwavering. "I'm safer in the middle of a war-zone than anywhere near you." With this, she turned and stormed toward her cabin. She slammed her palm into the switch to close her door.

At this time, Chewie emerged from his own cabin. {Trouble in paradise?} He asked, underestimating the gravity of the argument.

Han adverted his face from his friend and wiped away a tear of his own. "'T's nothing."

Leia slowly walked over to the bed that she had been sleeping on for this entire journey and sat down. Something on the bed to her left caught her eye. She looked down.

A single, stark white Alderaanian lily laid on her pillow. Han must've pocketed it on their way out of the warehouse. Leia clutched the flower and began to cry.

* * *

They gave their debriefing awkwardly, stumbling over words and glossing over certain parts of the story as to not reignite any feelings. Rieekan suspected something, but was mostly relieved to have the supplies and the Princess back on the base. When they were dismissed, Leia immediately went back to her bunk, only stopping to say hello to Luke on the way there.

For the next week and a half, Han and Leia avoided each other, only speaking when necessary. Han silently made the decision to leave and pay back Jabba. Maybe when the price on his head wasn't weighing down, he could try for something real with Leia.

They didn't have a real conversation again until he told Rieekan about his impending departure.

"Well don't get all mushy on me," Han said. His next remark could be heard throughout the base. "So long Princess!"

Leia had no idea compelled her to follow him down the hallway. It could've been anger or heartbreak or maybe even love, but she wasn't about to let Han just up and leave her on this ice cube to freeze to death.

"Han!" She called, hot on his heels. When he finally turned to look at her, she said. "I thought you had decided to stay."

"Well the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind."

She was stunned for a moment. He _mentioned_ it in the corridor where anyone could hear it. Wasn't it his idea never to speak about it again?

His choice of words opened the door for an emotionally charged argument in the middle of the base. Leia considered herself the winner, but had never been more embarrassed.

Two days later, as she watched the cargo door to the Falcon close in front of Vader's silhouette, she allowed herself to think about Ord Mantell. Leia sat in the cockpit hurriedly and watched Han fumble with the controls, but ultimately escape the ice planet, and something told her that the trip ahead was going to be better than the last.

When he kissed her until her knees were weak in the engineering bay, she knew she was right.

* * *

 **a/n: And if you've seen the movie, you know how the story ends.**

 **I just want to say thank you for reading this story and all your sweet reviews and let you know to be on the lookout for a follow-up to this story!**


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